Malta is replete with amazing scenery, historical sites, and warm people. The student group was amazed to hear there was an ancient capital that we had yet to visit. The city of Mdina is known as the “Old Capital” and sits in the south end of the island. Ancient Phoenicians and Romans had also used the area as a center of power in classical times. One can feel the history as the cobblestoned roads and sunbaked protective walls emit a glow welcoming visitors. Interestingly all the houses are passed down through families – no renting, so if you would like to live here you must live outside the protective gates. In Mdina the students received pictures of 40 spots and they had to take selfies at those sites. All the groups did very well. S-san commented, "Today I walked around Mdina. The roads were narrow and it was very cool when the wind blew. There were 40 spots, so it was very hard to get around. Mdina was a very quiet town. During my free time, I took pictures of the beautiful cityscape. I was looking forward to the afternoon class because the teacher was different from usual. He was a very good teacher. I plan to go see the sunrise early tomorrow morning. Today was a very fulfilling day. We are flying to Japan tomorrow. It felt very short."
After the photo treasure hunt there was an hour graciously given to students for souvenir shopping. Several students went for the famous chocolate cake of Mdina.
The students went to the language school in the afternoon as usual, but today was unusual. The Maltese were celebrating the Feast of the Annunciation as it was a state holiday. The school stayed open just for our group and the students took advantage of it by studying hard and practicing English.
In the evening the students rested up for the last leg of the trip. We ate truffle hamburgers and fries for dinner. A small band got together in the morning to watch the sunrise. An eventful 24 hours to be sure.
